Battling the Past
by swfanatic55
Summary: SEQUEL TO "THE SKYWALKERS" The Skywalkers are now trying to repair damages in the galaxy, but someone is out to get Anakin and haunts the family. Now, the family must find out who wants Anakin dead and are in for another surprise. More details inside.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a sequel to "The Skywalkers." If you hadn't read it yet, I suggest you do before reading this sequel.**

**The sequel takes place a few weeks after the last chapter from "The Skywalkers," and before the epilogue. Anakin, Padme, Luke, Leia, Han, and Mara Jade are trying to build a new Republic and Jedi Order. Leia and Han are not married yet. As Anakin and Leia try to build a relationship, things become difficult when someone dead set on revenge goes after Anakin. And it just may be someone they know. I rated this T just to be safe because there's some mild violence.**

**I wasn't really sure I would write a sequel to "The Skywalkers." But, I just got hit with this idea and I couldn't resist. Hope you all enjoy. I plan to go back to "The Skywalkers" to fix a couple of grammatical errors that I spotted when I re-read it. I'll do that when I have time.**

**Star Wars and the characters belong to George Lucas, not me. No copyright infringement intended.**

* * *

Anakin allowed the cool air to relax him as he stood outside on the patio of his house, the house he shared with his wife, Padme. He was thinking about his first kiss with her. It was here, on this patio, over twenty years ago. It was the same place he married her. He had never forgotten that day, not even when he was Darth Vader. His wedding to Padme would haunt him every night when he thought she was dead and he had only his power to live on. His memories of feeling the baby inside Padme's stomach when she was pregnant would haunt him too when he thought he lost his child.

Now, these memories brought him warmth. He welcomed and cherished them. His wife was alive and now with him again. The child she had carried turned out to be twins, two intelligent and strong beings who are now grown up and with him. Sure, he missed out on their youth. But, now his family is together again and he is back to being a Jedi. He would now be a good husband, a good father, and a good Jedi. And he will try to make up for his mistakes for the rest of his life.

Two soft hands encircled his waist. He turned around to see Padme smiling up at him.

"Do you want to come inside? It's getting late." Padme asked gently.

Anakin nodded and then looked away to view the lake. "I was just thinking about our wedding and how happy we were."

Padme rested her head on Anakin's shoulder. "It was a beautiful day."

Anakin smiled at her. "That's because you were beautiful."

"Thanks. I still have my wedding dress and I think I'm going to give it to Leia for her wedding."

"Maybe they can have the wedding here, on the patio." Anakin suggested.

Padme looked thoughtful at this. "Like a tradition? That sounds nice. But, Leia might want a big wedding. Remember, she and Han don't have to keep their relationship a secret like we did."

"That's true. Do you think she will ask me to walk her down the aisle?"

"It's very possible. You two have been getting closer and patching things up."

Anakin sighed happily. "Yeah. There was a moment when I didn't think she would ever forgive me for all the terrible things I've done."

"You're her father and she knows now about all that you went through."

"Yeah. I'm just glad that she and Luke understand."

Anakin walked back inside with Padme and closed the door. They were now in the room where Palpatine was killed. That was the moment Anakin left the dark side for good and was reunited with his family.

"Are you ready to go to bed?" Padme asked Anakin, noticing that he was in deep thought.

Anakin returned his attention to Padme and said, "Yeah, I am. Let's go." The two headed upstairs to their bedroom.

Padme opened the door and walked inside. Before Anakin got in, she let out a scream.

"What is it?!" Anakin asked, as he walked in beside her. She didn't need to answer him for Anakin saw what she was screaming at. On the wall above their bed, written in red ink which looked like blood, said the words:

YOU'LL DIE, DARTH VADER!

Anakin felt his heart thumping loudly in his chest. Padme's face was pale and she had her hand covering her mouth. It seemed forever that they stood in their room stunned, staring at the wall. Finally, Padme lowered her hand and asked, "Who could have done this?"

Anakin shook his head. "I don't know. Someone must have snuck in. I don't think it's any of your handmaidens or the maids."

"But, we have high security. There's no way they could have came in."

"I'm going to check around." Anakin said, before departing the room. Padme followed him. They went to their security guards and asked if they have seen anyone trying to come in. The security guards said no and were more than surprised when Padme informed them of the incident.

"I don't understand how this could have happened. No one was around here and we never let anyone in." One of the guards said.

Padme was puzzled. She knew it couldn't have been any of her handmaidens. None of them were capable of this. It had to have been an invader. But who? Anakin and Padme asked all of the handmaidens, maids, and the cook if they had seen anything strange. All of them were shocked by what happened and had no idea how.

However, one of the maids holding a small card, said, "I saw this on the floor a few minutes ago. It was near your bedroom."

Anakin immediately took the card and recognized it as an ID. But, he was stunned and confused when he realized the ID was Leia's.

"That's Leia's." Padme said, confused. "But, she didn't come over here today. How could it have gotten here?"

"I don't know." Anakin replied. Fear swelled up in his chest. It couldn't have been Leia who wrote the threat on the wall, could it? She wouldn't do something that crazy. Besides, Leia had forgiven him. She may still feel some anger towards him, but she was willing to give him another chance. But then what else could explain how her ID ended up in their house? Leia hadn't been over since last week. The maids would have seen the ID if she had dropped it by accident. This ID had to arrive today, which would mean Leia must have been in their house. Not to forget that the ID was near the bedroom. Could Leia still be harboring resentful feelings towards him? Perhaps, she hadn't really forgiven him. Maybe, she was only pretending too but inside, she was secretly planning some kind of revenge.

"No." Padme said suddenly, breaking Anakin out of his thoughts.

"What?" Anakin said.

"I know what you're thinking and it's not true. Leia is not behind this."

"Well, I don't want to believe that and I don't think I really do. But, I can't see how her ID is here when she's not."

"I don't know." Padme admitted. "But, I know Leia. She wouldn't do something like this. She forgave you."

"I know. But she is still angry. I still feel that when I'm near her."

"Of course she is. But that doesn't mean she doesn't love you or that she is going to hold your past against you. Don't forget that at the trial, she stopped you from getting the death penalty. If she wanted you dead, she wouldn't have protested."

Anakin tried his best to shake all doubts out as he nodded his head and smiled at his wife. "You're right. It must have been someone else."

"We'll get to the bottom of this tomorrow morning. Let's get some sleep."

Anakin and Padme went into a guest room to sleep with one of the guards guarding the door. A couple of hours had passed. Padme was asleep. But Anakin was not. He sensed that someone out there was after him. Someone wanted to hurt his family. He didn't want his fears to get the best of him again, but he knew he had to do something to protect his family. The first step was to find out who is the enemy. He didn't know if it was someone from the Rebellion who was still angry at Darth Vader or someone from the Empire who was angry at him for destroying it. He just hoped that it wasn't Leia.

**Well, that's chapter one. I hope it's a good start. I'll update soon. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. **


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey! Wait! Hold that elevator!" Leia quickly ran into the elevator before it closed. She was a few minutes late to work and therefore in a rush. She gave an embarrassed smile at the people standing in the elevator with her.

Leia couldn't believe where she was in her life right now. It was just a couple of months ago when she had been the leader of the Rebellion and the Princess of Alderaan. She lived with her parents Bail and Breha Organa in their palace and worked alongside her father as a Senator and a spy for the Rebellion. Tragically, her planet had blown up and her parents were killed in the process, while she had been held prisoner at the Empire's Death Star by her enemy Darth Vader. Just when she was about to lose all hope, she was rescued by a man name Luke Skywalker who turned out to be her twin brother and another man name Han Solo who is now her fiancé. She had recently found out that Bail and Breha were her adoptive parents and her real parents were Darth Vader and Padme Amidala, a former Queen and Senator who was thought to be dead for many years.

Darth Vader, who had been one of her most hated enemies, was actually once a Jedi name Anakin Skywalker, the man who fathered her and Luke. Discovering that his family was alive and were being threatened by his master Emperor Palpatine, Vader returned to Anakin and redeemed himself. He was now reunited with his wife Padme, and they were living together on Naboo.

As for Leia herself, she had been helping her family build a new Republic and fix the damages caused by the Empire. So far, it's been a long and difficult process. Right now, Leia was at the building where decisions and plans were being made for the future. Most of the Rebels have joined and former politicians too. Luke, Anakin, Padme, Mara Jade, and Han have been taking active roles in restoring democracy and making it stronger than it had been before. Leia could never have imagined that the Empire would have ended so soon and that she would already be at the stage of bringing democracy back. And she could never have imagined that Vader, now Anakin Skywalker, would be the main cause of it. And top of all that, she was now being trained as a Jedi by Luke. She had heard of Jedi Knights before, and always thought of them as legends. She never knew she could become one herself. Her life had turned out unexpectedly indeed.

The elevator opened and Leia hurried out to check at the main desk before she could enter the meeting room. A droid working at the desk asked for her name.

"Princess Leia Organa." She said.

"Sign in here, please." The droid said as he handed over a clipboard with a bunch of signatures.

Leia saw that her whole family, including Han had already signed the sheet attached to the clipboard. She was the last person to arrive. Leia, not wanting to miss the meeting, quickly signed her name. She turned to leave but the droid spoke again.

"ID please?"

"Oh, yes, I forgot." Leia opened her bag and searched frantically for her ID. But, it was nowhere to be found. "Damn it. Where is it? I know it's here. Hey!" Some papers, folders, and mail hit the floor from the desk. The droid looked annoyed.

"Oops." Leia awkwardly laughed. "I didn't mean to knock those over." Leia grabbed everything together and placed them on the desk. I guess I'm clumsy when I'm nervous, Leia thought to herself.

"Have you found your ID yet?" The droid asked.

"Uh, no, I'm still looking for it. Hold on." Leia resumed her search but her ID was still nowhere to be seen. "I must have dropped it last night when I was--"

"When you were what?" A man's voice asked.

Surprised, Leia looked up to see who approached her and found herself looking into the face of her father Anakin. "Father?" She said as if caught off guard.

"Looking for this?" Anakin said as he pulled out Leia's ID from his pocket.

Leia gasped as she took the ID. "Yes. Where did you find it?"

"Probably where you dropped it."

"Oh. Yeah. Uh, probably." Leia said. Anakin noticed a guilty expression on Leia's face and could not help but feel suspicious.

"I didn't know you came over last night."

Leia looked horrified as if she felt caught at doing something wrong. She then looked down and took a deep breath before speaking again. "Look, I know I agreed to try to work on our relationship."

"Right..."

"And I said I would give you a chance."

"Yes, you did. But?"

"But I still...I mean...Even though we--"

"Hey there you are!"

Leia and Anakin turned to see Han coming towards them. "I've been looking for you, Leia. How come you're late?"

"Well, I accidentally slept in. I was up late last night." She then stopped when she caught Anakin's suspicious eye. "But, we don't want to miss out on the meeting, so let's go in."

"Wait, Leia." Anakin said. "You were saying something before."

"Huh? Oh, right. Um, we can talk about that later. Let's attend the meeting."

Leia showed her ID to the droid and was permitted to follow Anakin and Han inside. They found Luke, Mara, Padme, and Chewie and sat beside them at the circular table.

"What happened?" Padme whispered to Anakin.

"Well, she didn't admit to being the one behind that message, but she was acting strangely and guilty." Anakin whispered back.

"I still don't believe she's behind this." Padme said.

"She came in late today which is unusual for her. She's usually the first one here."

"Did she say why?"

"She says she slept in late because she was up late last night."

"She was doing something else." Padme said quickly. "Please tell me you don't actually believe--"

"I don't want to. But, she's hiding something. I know she is. I can sense it."

"Leia is not cruel that she would scare us like that."

"I didn't say she was. If she is behind that incident, perhaps she was just angry at the moment. And maybe now she regrets it."

"Let's not jump into any conclusions until we have enough proof."

"Okay." Anakin agreed.

"Is something up?" Luke asked.

"No, nothing." Anakin said.

"Can we have everyone's attention please?" Mon Mothma said and everyone's mutterings silenced. "Good." Mothma replied.

Dodonna stood up and started the meeting. "Today, we need to decide if we are going to keep former politicians who were in office before the fall of the Old Republic and at the start of the Empire. Some of us believe that since they were elected and never finished their term, they should still hold place in office. While some believe that since they were elected over twenty years ago, we should have new elections."

Anakin spoke. "As I said last time, I think old politicians should still run until it's time to have a new election."

"That's absurd!" Another man said.

Anakin immediately recognized him as the Rebel at his trial who protested after Leia pleaded to Dodonna to retrieve his verdict on Anakin. His name was Arnold. "The time for a new election is now." The Rebel continued, shooting a bitter look towards Anakin.

Anakin felt awkward, but held to his opinion. "It wouldn't be fair to all those who were rightfully elected before. They didn't do anything wrong."

"Well, it's not fair to the newer generation who didn't vote for them. Democracy is about what people want. The people today should decide who represents them today."

"But you have to also think about those that were just kicked out of their office before their term was up. It's not fair to them."

Arnold snorted. "Most of them were kicked out by you and your evil master."

Anakin didn't know how to respond. Everyone in the room was quiet. Padme and Luke glanced at each other. Finally, Anakin said, "I know I was responsible for most of the problems we have. But that is why I am trying to fix things."

"Then let there be a new election!"

"I just don't think that's a good idea!"

"Well, your daughter does!"

"What?" Anakin asked and then he turned to look at Leia. "Leia?"

Leia's cheeks turned red and she looked uncomfortable. "Well, although it may not seem fair to former politicians that were elected..."

"Yes?"

"I do believe that the generation today should decide who should be in office."

"Thank you." Arnold said.

"Leia, do you honestly believe that?" Padme asked.

"Mother, I know that you were Senator. I know Mon Mothma was. A lot of great people were. It's not that I don't want you in office or the other politicians. It's just that I think the newer generation today should have a say in who gets to be in office. It's just seems fairer that way. Young people like Luke, Han, and I never elected those people because we weren't in that time. So to have those former politicians get back in office without our say doesn't sound like a republic." Leia answered.

"What do you think, Luke?" Padme asked.

Luke's eyes shifted uncomfortably between his mother and his sister. "I think both sides have a point. It's a difficult decision, and personally, I don't think it can be decided today."

"Well, we don't have much time." Arnold said. "The galaxy is going to continue on and we need people to run it."

"I agree." Leia said. "I think we should start planning a new election as soon as possible."

"Leia, we should at least follow Luke's advice and take some time to consider the options." Anakin said.

"But, we don't have that kind of time. It's going to take a while to get a new election ready. We are already behind. We need people running this galaxy, or a new republic will never be formed."

"Father, Leia does have a point there." Luke said. Leia smiled at him.

Anakin however was not happy. "Don't take this the wrong way. But you two are young. You're both intelligent and competent, but you do lack experience due to youth. Running a republic isn't easy. I think it's best for now to allow those that were already elected from before resume their positions in the government. That will gives us plenty of time to prepare for the next election and all the people of the new generation can have a say. You are right in the fact that we don't have much time. That is why it's better to do it this way."

"I suppose that sounds logical." Luke said, reconsidering the situation.

Leia did not agree. "We lack experience? I have been a Senator myself and I have been the leader of the Rebellion. I may be young but I've done a lot."

"I didn't say you didn't. I know you have more experience than other people your age. But, there are still some things you don't understand yet."

Leia was now angry but she didn't get to respond for Mon Mothma interrupted. "I think we should all take a break today and continue this tomorrow."

A couple of minutes later, everyone left except for Luke, Leia, Anakin, Padme, Han, and Mara. Leia and Anakin continued their argument.

"I don't think it's fair of you to say that there are 'some things I don't understand yet.' While you were running the Empire, I was trying to restore democracy." Leia said.

"So that's it, then?" Anakin replied. "You don't think I have any right to make suggestions here because I was Darth Vader?"

"Don't make this personal."

"I wasn't trying to. But you brought the whole thing up."

"I just meant that when you were Darth Vader, you didn't see things the way that I did. You missed out on a lot. Even Mother has. The galaxy today is not the same as it was in your time."

"Of course it isn't. I know that the galaxy can't be the way it used to be. I just think this is the best solution for now."

"It doesn't sound democratic."

"There's no Emperor. We have elected people voting on decisions and listening to the people."

"Yes, but we can't choose those elected people."

"But, in the meantime, we should have those people who were voted before run the Republic because it's better to have that than to have no one running it. What are we going to say to everyone in the galaxy? That all the ones who promised to restore democracy can't yet because they're in the middle of a dispute?"

"You're the one that is making the issue here."

"So I am not entitled to my opinion? Is that it?"

"You are. But so are we. And I think it would be wise to listen to people who have been fighting all these years to bring democracy back."

"Ah, I see. So you do hold the fact that I helped create and run the Empire against me."

"Don't turn this on me."

"Well, why can't you admit that that's true?"

"I'm not holding it against you. But I do feel that being Vader all these years made you blind to the struggle that people like me faced."

"It wasn't a bliss being Vader! Do you know how much I struggled, how lost I was?"

"I know. You told me this already. I get it! You were vulnerable. I understand. And I said we could move on from that."

But, Anakin didn't act as if he heard her. "Don't forget that I'm the one that destroyed this Empire in the first place. We wouldn't be here otherwise."

"You destroyed it at the last minute! What about all the hard work we did all these years?" Leia now had tears in her eyes as the situation tensed. Anakin stared at her, not knowing what to say. But, Leia didn't give him a chance to. She stormed out of the room.

All was quiet until Luke spoke. "That was harsh."

"I know. I thought she had forgiven me." Anakin said.

"I meant you."

"What? Me?" Anakin asked in surprise.

"Leia was just doing what she thought was best. You didn't have to talk to her like that."

"She was the one who just yelled at me."

"Because you pushed her too far." Padme said.

"So it's my fault?"

"I think you both just got out of hand a bit. Planning the future of a galaxy is not easy. There will be disputes."

"Yes, but she's my daughter."

"Who has a mind of her own."

"I'm going to go after her." Han said and got up. As he opened the door, a droid was standing outside, about to come in. Han let it enter and left afterwards.

"Anakin Skywalker, this is for you." The droid said as he handed over an envelope addressed to him.

Anakin took it. "Who's it from?"

"I'm not sure. It was in the mail." The droid said before leaving.

Anakin opened the envelope and pulled out a paper. In capital letters, it said:

YOU'll PAY, DARTH VADER!!

Padme, Luke, and Mara looked over and read the message.

"Oh no. Not again." Padme said.

"Again?" Luke asked. "You mean this happened before."

Padme and Anakin filled in what happened last night including finding Leia's ID to Luke and Mara, who were both stunned.

"I don't believe Leia did it." Luke said. "I know her very well. She wouldn't. I'm sure of it."

"I wonder if it's someone who was for the Empire or someone for the Republic." Mara said.

"That's the thing. We don't know either." Padme said.

"Father, I think you should increase your protection. Someone is after you. This is serious. We need to tell Yoda. Maybe even Obi-Wan can help." Luke said.

"I know what I am going to do." Anakin said as he stood up. "I'm going to check for fingerprints on the envelope. It'll have mine. But it might have finger prints from the person who sent it."

Anakin and his family headed to a lab center and gave the envelope to be scanned. Soon, a droid came out and said, "We have the results."

"Yes?"

"Other than yours, the only other set of fingerprints belong to Princess Leia Organa."

**I'll update as soon as I can. Sorry for the cliffhanger but please leave a review. **


	3. Chapter 3

Leia headed back to her apartment and dropped herself on the couch. She was still stressed out by the events at the meeting. There was a knock on the door. Leia hoped it wasn't Anakin or Padme. She was not in the mood to deal with her parents right now.

But when she opened the door, she was relieved and delighted to see Han. "Hey."

"Hi, can I come in?"

"Sure." Leia opened the door wider to allow Han to step in. She then shut the door.

"How you're feeling?"

"I'm alright. It's just that I didn't want to get into that fight."

"I know. I guess things are still tense between you and your father."

Leia sighed. "Yeah, I know. I just wish that everytime I disagree with him, he doesn't take it to heart. It's like he thinks that I'm doing it on purpose because I'm still mad at him for all the things he's done."

"Well, aren't you still mad at him?"

"Of course I am. But that doesn't mean I'm going to hold a grudge against him. You know I really do believe that we should have a new election. It has nothing to do with my father."

"It's okay. I know." Han said as he hugged her tightly.

* * *

"Anakin, wait!" Padme called after her husband as they were leaving the lab center. "Let's not jump to any conclusions yet."

"What more do you need?" Anakin asked as he turned around to face his wife and son. "Her ID was at our house near the bedroom. And now she has her fingerprints on this envelope."

"Father, there must be some kind of explanation. Leia is not capable of this." Luke said.

"Luke, I don't want to believe it any more than you do. But all the evidence points to Leia."

"Anakin, what are you going to do?" Padme asked cautiously.

"I'm going to confront Leia and ask her why she's doing this."

"Anakin, your relationship with Leia is already on the line. Don't make things worse."

"What else can I do?"

"Father, even when Leia was still furious at you, she would never go as far as giving death threats." Luke said as he tried to reason with his father.

"I don't think Leia is trying to be malicious. Maybe her anger has caught up with her. She has been through a lot."

"Are you suggesting that she's having a breakdown."

"It's possible. She may need help. We don't want to lose her to the dark side."

"Are you going to see Leia now?" Padme asked.

Anakin thought about what he wanted to do. He did want to see Leia to get to the bottom of this, but at the same time, it sounded impulsive. His impulse had gotten him into trouble in the past. He didn't want to make the same mistakes again, especially since his family's safety was in jeopardy. No, it was best to wait. He would observe Leia from afar and study her behavior. When he felt it was the right time, he would then confront her. Right now, he didn't think it was right for Leia to even know he suspected her. He wanted to make her feel that she was still safe in her schemes.

"Not yet. We'll wait until the time is right. Leia shouldn't know that I'm onto her yet."

Padme sighed. "Oh Ani, I hope you're wrong about her."

"I'll go see her." Luke suggested. "I won't let her know what we think. But, I'll talk to her and try to see if there's anything unusual going on with her."

"Okay, Luke, be careful." Anakin advised.

"I will." Luke said as he left his parents.

* * *

Leia was resting on her couch. Han had left her a while ago to take care of some errands. She still couldn't help but feel bothered by the way things had went earlier. Leia didn't want to be preoccupied with it. I should just take this day off to relax. Maybe, I'll do some yoga, Leia thought to herself. She remembered Yoda telling her that yoga was a good way to take distractions out of mind and to meditate. It's important for a Jedi to relieve their tension and allow the force to flow through them easily. Yes, doing some yoga sounded like a good idea.

Leia got up and was ready to change into more comfortable clothes when she heard a knock on the door. Leia opened the door but there wasn't anyone standing around. Leia wondered who knocked and then noticed a bouquet of red roses lying on the floor. She bent down and picked up the flowers. Who could have sent them? Leia looked outside of her room again but the corridor was empty.

"That's odd." Leia muttered to herself. She then observed the roses to see if there was a note attached. But there was none. There was nothing to tell her who sent the flowers. It couldn't have been Han, Leia thought. He had just left a while ago and he would have left her a note if he sent them. Leia closed the door and got out a small vase. She filled it up with water and placed the roses into the vase. Leia then stared at the roses thoughtfully, wondering who it was that gave them to her. All of a sudden, there was another knock on the door.

Maybe, that's the person, Leia thought as she went to open the door again. When she did, she saw Luke standing outside.

"Luke! Hi. Were you the one that gave me those roses?" Leia asked as she let Luke in.

Luke looked confused. "Roses? I didn't send any."

"Oh. Mhmm...I wonder who did then."

"Maybe it's Han."

"I don't think so. He came over earlier but then left to take care of some business."

"Maybe he wanted to surprise you then."

"Maybe..." But Leia had a feeling that the roses were from someone else.

"Anyway, I wanted to know if you wanted to hang out."

Leia broke from her thoughts as she looked up to see Luke. "Huh?"

"I thought maybe we should hang out. Lately, when we see each other, it's because of work and training. So I thought today, we can just have some brother and sister time."

Leia smiled. "That sounds nice."

Luke nodded and sat down with Leia. "So what were you doing before I came?"

"Well, actually, I was about to do some yoga."

"Yoga?"

Leia laughed. "Yeah, I thought I could relieve some stress."

"Have you been under a lot of stress lately?"

"To be honest, I have actually. A lot."

"Things were quite ugly today."

Leia stared at Luke for a moment. "I know why you're here."

"What?" Luke asked, surprised by the change of tone in Leia's voice.

"You came here to talk about Father and me."

"Well, not exactly..." Luke was beginning to get nervous.

"Yes, you have. Look, I know Father and I got into a fight today. And you probably think it's because of our hideous past. But, I can assure you that I was just trying to do what I thought was best for the new Republic."

"I know that, Leia. I know you didn't want to get into that fight. But, I guess it's hard not to. You two have quite a history and you're both firm in your opinions and beliefs. I suppose as different as you two are, you're both the same too."

"I just don't want Father to think that I created that fight on purpose. I don't want him to think that this was all out of spite."

"Really?"

"Yes. I'm not trying to get revenge on him."

"Well, maybe you're not trying to. But, you do still have some anger towards him. And so maybe, subconsciously, you let that anger--"

Leia didn't let Luke finish. "No, I may still be mad at him. But I'm letting go of my anger. I forgave him. What happened today was merely a disagreement. And because of our complicated past, we thought the fight was actually about more. But, it wasn't. It was just a disagreement. And I can prove that to you."

"How?"

Leia sat up. "I'm going to go see Father now. And I'll tell him that we should separate our professional lives from our personal lives. And even though we are going to disagree at these meetings, we shouldn't let it interfere with our relationship."

"Leia, I don't think you should go see Father now."

"Why not?"

Luke didn't know how to answer. He wasn't supposed to tell her what was going on. "Well, you two should just take some time to cool off. I think some distance would be good."

"But that's just the thing. We shouldn't need distance. We should still be a family even though we don't agree all the time professionally. I'm going to go and tell him that. And I'll tell him that I didn't disagree on purpose to spite him. He needs to know that."

Luke saw the determination in Leia and knew he couldn't change her mind. He shook his head as he got up. "Okay, I'll go with you."

* * *

Anakin and Padme were eating lunch at their house when they heard a noise upstairs.

"What was that?" Padme asked.

"It sounded like it was coming from our bedroom."

"Maybe it's one of the maids."

"I'll go check. You stay here."

Anakin ran up the stairs and went to his bedroom. He noticed there was a sheet of paper sitting on the bed. Anakin moved forward to see what it was and was horrified when he read what it said.

VENGEANCE IS SWEET!

Anakin brought the message down and questioned everyone in the house about it. All of the guards and handmaidens were puzzled. They didn't see how that message could have gotten in the bedroom when no one entered the house. Padme's face was white. She was terrified.

"Anakin, what are we going to do? Someone is after you."

Anakin put his arm around Padme. "Don't worry. I'll handle this."

"Do you still think it's Leia?"

Anakin didn't get to answer her because there was a knock on the door.

"I'll answer it." Anakin said.

"Wait! What if it's--"

But Anakin had already opened the door. Outside standing were Luke and Leia.

"Hello." Leia greeted sweetly.

* * *

**Please leave a review. I would like some feedback.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Luke? Leia? Hi." Anakin said, caught off guard.

"This isn't a bad time, is it?" Leia asked.

"What? No, please come in."

Leia and Luke stepped in and they both moved forward to hug their mother. Padme hugged them both back and asked, "What brings you two here?"

Luke looked at Leia as she said, "Well, we just came to chat. I know things were rough earlier at the meeting. I thought we should clear the air."

Padme nodded. "That's a good idea. Your father and I were just having lunch. We would love it if you two would join us."

"Mother, are you alright? You look a little pale."

"No, I'm fine. It was just a busy day. That's all. But, come in the dining room. I'll get you two something to eat."

"Okay. Do you mind if I just use the bathroom first?"

"Sure, go ahead."

As soon as Leia left, Luke spoke. "Something happened, didn't it? You both look alarmed."

Anakin stepped forward. "Did you notice anything strange about Leia?"

"Well, we talked briefly. She admitted to being under stress lately, but it's doesn't look anything extreme. I don't know, Father. I can't see Leia threatening you like this. She actually came here because she wanted to patch things up."

"We just got another threat."

"What?" Luke asked, horrified.

Anakin handed over the message he found on his bed. Luke read it and his face paled. "When did this happen?"

"When your father and I were eating lunch." Padme answered.

"We were eating and then all of a sudden, we heard noises upstairs. I went to the bedroom and found this note. The person that broke in must have left by then." Anakin explained.

"Well, it can't be Leia. I was with her the whole time." Luke said.

"That's true. It couldn't have been her." Padme said to her husband.

"Unless she hired someone to do it. I mean, I don't want to believe Leia did this. But how can we explain the ID and the fingerprints?" Anakin said.

"Father, I think someone is trying to set Leia up." Luke said.

"Which would mean that she could be in danger." Anakin said, considering Luke's words.

"What do we do?"

"We have to inform Leia about this. If someone is setting her up, she needs to know." Padme said.

"What's going on?" Leia appeared, noticing that her family were in a deep discussion. She had the distinct impression it had something to do with her. She then noticed that Luke was holding a paper. "What's this?" Leia went to Luke's side and read the note.

Her face went from confusion to complete shock. "What is this?"

"Someone broke in their house and left this on their bed." Luke explained.

"What?!"

"I've been getting threats." Anakin said.

"What do you mean?" Leia asked, terrified.

Anakin explained to Leia about what happened the night before and the message he received after the meeting was over.

"And they didn't leave a name or anything that revealed their identity?" Leia asked, frightened.

"No. Just these short hostile messages."

"Well, did you check for evidence? I mean, there must be some kind of clue that can help us figure out who's behind this."

Anakin and Padme looked at each other uncomfortably.

"What is it?"

"We checked for fingerprints on the envelope I received earlier." Anakin said.

"Well, that's good. Did you find out who they belonged to?"

"The fingerprints on the envelope were yours." Padme answered.

Leia's face was blank. "What?"

"They were yours."

"Mine? That's impossible. I couldn't have touched that message."

"There's more." Anakin added. "Last night, your ID was lying on the floor near our bedroom."

"What?!" Leia asked, bewildered.

"We think someone is trying to set you up."

"Set me up? But why?"

"Most likely to protect their own identity." Padme said.

"I can't believe all of this. Father, what are we going to do? Someone is after you." Leia asked, concerned.

"Right now, I'm more worried about you. Someone is trying to make you look like the guilty one." Anakin said as he placed his hands on Leia's shoulders.

"But how come you didn't tell me this before?"

Padme looked at Anakin as he seemed lost for words. Leia stared at her father, waiting for him to explain his reason and was confused why he looked nervous and wasn't responding. She then realized why he wasn't answering her. "You thought it was me, didn't you?"

Anakin didn't respond.

Leia sighed. "Well, I guess it makes sense. I was furious at you before. I said I wanted you dead many times in the past. And all the evidence pointed at me. I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

Anakin shook his head. "No, I should have known it was a set up. You wouldn't do something like this. Please forgive me for doubting you."

"It's okay. You're forgiven. I'm just worried about who is coming after us. I still don't understand how my ID got to your house or my fingerprints on that envelope."

"Well, earlier today, you mentioned about leaving your ID somewhere last night when you couldn't find it. Where did you go last night?"

Leia's cheeks suddenly turned red.

"Leia? Is there something you're hiding?"

Leia sighed. "I suppose I should just tell the truth."

"Truth about what?"

"Last night there was a secret meeting held with people from the Democracy Restoration. It was for people who wanted to organize a new election, the issue we discussed at the meeting today. I know you think we should keep the elected members, but I really do believe that we should start all over and have a new election. I didn't want to tell you guys this because I know you feel differently and I was afraid you would see this as a betrayal."

Anakin saw the shame in Leia's face and felt guilty. "Leia, you're entitled to your opinion. I shouldn't have made you feel like you have to hide your beliefs from me. It's okay that we think differently on certain issues. I am sorry about our fight earlier."

"Me too. I didn't want you to think that was because I was still hung up over what you did in the past."

"Don't worry. I understand. But, we still need to figure out how your ID got here."

"Right. Mhmm...Well, I brought my ID to the meeting. I remember having it on the table. And I think I must have left it there. I don't think I put it back in my purse. So my guess would be that someone stole it."

"So it must have been someone at that meeting." Padme suggested.

Leia frowned. "I don't know if anyone at that meeting would do something like that. They all seem like decent people."

"But maybe they thought that Father was in the way. He wanted to keep the elected politicians. Or they could be angry for what Father did as Vader." Luke reasoned.

"Possibly...Maybe, you're right."

"Who was at the meeting?" Padme asked.

Leia thought as she tried to remember. "Well, there was Caroline. But, she's very sweet. I can't see her doing something this cruel."

"Yes, I know her. I doubt it would be her." Padme agreed.

"Brandon, Geraldine, Bella, Trini...Uh, Joshua, Helen, Tyler, Bruno...Arnold...um..."

"Arnold?" Anakin repeated.

Leia stopped. "Yeah. He was there."

Anakin, Padme, and Luke looked thoughtful.

"You don't think it's him?"

"He does seem to hate me. At the court, he seemed like the only one who was upset about me getting off." Anakin explained.

"I know he's angry at you and doesn't trust you. But, that's because he's always been a determined Rebel. He hated the Empire. A lot of his family members died because of some of the Empire's actions."

"Well, this person says they want revenge. Maybe, Arnold thinks what he's doing is right."

"Out of the people you've mentioned so far, Arnold does seem to have the most motive." Luke added.

"That's true." Leia admitted. "Maybe, you're right. The person behind this was most likely at that meeting if they got my ID. And Arnold does seem to hold more of a grudge than the others."

"He may also want revenge on you since you're the one that protested at the court when Dodonna made his decision." Luke said.

"Yes, that's true." Padme agreed.

"But, we should wait until we have more evidence that indicate Arnold is behind all of this. Leia, can you keep an extra eye on him? See if you can find out anything." Anakin said.

Leia nodded. "I will. I'll get to the bottom of this. I promise."

Anakin smiled gratefully. "But be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Don't worry. I can take care of myself. You just watch out for yourself. You're in more danger here than anyone in the family. Whoever this person is, is bloodthirsty on revenge."

"I can handle it. I just don't want anyone in our family to become a target because of me."

"We're going to keep guards in the bedroom since that is the place this mysterious person is breaking into." Padme said.

"Good." Leia nodded her approval. "I don't want to lose you two again."

"You won't." Anakin reassured her as he hugged her. Leia returned the hug tightly.

* * *

After having lunch with their parents, Luke walked Leia back to her apartment. The two of them stopped at the door when they noticed a boquet of flowers lying on the floor.

"Again?" Leia asked as she bent down to pick the flowers. This time, they were yellow tulips. And again, there was no note. Who is sending these, Leia asked herself.

**Okay, well Leia is off their suspect list and Arnold is replaced. There may be a couple of more suspects added on soon. Please leave a review and give me some feedback, opinions, and your thoughts.**


	5. Chapter 5

"Yellow tulips? I wonder who sent them." Leia said, examining the flowers.

Luke shrugged. "It's probably Han."

"Maybe..."

"Well, I'm going to go see Mara now. I'll see you later."

"Okay, bye."

Luke left and Leia entered her apartment. She placed the tulips in a new vase and set them next to the roses. She had an odd feeling that there was something significant behind these flowers which made her desperate to find out who sent them.

There was a knock on the door. Leia thought it might be Han as she went to open the door. Instead, to her surprise, she saw Arnold standing.

"Arnold? Hi." Leia said.

"Hello. May I come in?" Arnold asked.

"Sure." Leia allowed Arnold to step inside as she wondered what he was here for.

"I was wondering if we could talk." Arnold said.

"Okay. Is this about our meeting earlier?"

"Yes. And yesterday's. You see, I really believe that we should start a new election now. But your father and your family seem to be in the way. And I know you feel differently than them. So I was wondering if you could do something about it."

Leia remembered what she discussed with her father. He suspected Arnold to be behind those threats. Arnold did seem determined to get his own way. She too wondered how far he would go.

"My family have an opinion of their own. There isn't much I can do." Leia replied, simply.

"I disagree. I think you can convince them otherwise."

Leia laughed. "I tried to. Remember? It didn't work."

"Well, didn't you and your father stayed longer after the meeting."

"Yes, we did." Leia was wondering where Arnold was going with this.

"Well, what happened? I mean, did you two discuss this further?"

"Yes, we did."

"And?"

"And it got us no further."

"How did the argument end?"

Leia hesitated to respond. She was not sure if she wanted to reveal the fight she had with her father. If he was indeed the person behind the messages, she did not want him knowing what was going on with her relationship with Anakin. It seemed private, but Leia thought it wouldn't do any harm to admit that the fight was a little heated. "We had a tense argument. I left later to cool off. But everything is fine between us now." She did not bother with the details.

"Oh...Well, I just had an idea."

"Yes?"

"Your father seems guilty for the things he's done, especially to you."

"Because he is."

"So I thought maybe you can use his guilt to get him out of the Democracy Restoration."

"I don't understand."

"If you tell him that you don't feel it's right for him to be part of the program, he might leave because he feels guilty."

Leia was stunned. "You want me to kick him out?"

"Yes. Your father gets in the way of so many important decisions. I want to see this galaxy in peace again. And we are never going to get there with your father thwarting our plans. He's done it before as Vader. And now he's doing it again as Anakin."

"My father does have good intentions."

"That's what he said as Vader."

"Oh come on, you know there's a big difference between Vader and Anakin."

"Sure, Anakin is nicer. But, he doesn't understand democracy."

"He does. But there are different ways to look at democracy. Look, I know my father has done terrible things before. But, he is trying to make up for them. And he's doing that by participating in the Democracy Restoration. He is trying to make things right again. And I can't stop him from trying to make up for his mistakes. He needs this. He needs to be a part of this so he can feel good about himself again. I don't want to get in the way of that."

"I understand your concern for your father. But, what's more important? Your father clearing his conscience or having peace in the galaxy?"

"I think my father has made a lot of mess in this galaxy. It's only right to let him have a part in fixing things. He may not always have the right ideas, but no one always does. There are a lot of good things he can do for us. He is a powerful ally."

Arnold sighed. "You know, I used to look up to you before. You used to always do right by the galaxy the best way you knew how. Now that you have a new family, you've been different."

"Of course I have. Anyone that went through what I have would be."

"Yes, but you lost a lot of that light you had before." Arnold said as he turned to leave. At the doorway, he said, "Nice flowers, by the way." Arnold closed the door as he left.

Leia turned to look at the flowers. Maybe, Father was right. Maybe, it was Arnold who threatened him.

* * *

Luke went over to Mara's house. She was lying down on her couch with a wet towel on her head.

"When did this headache start?" Luke asked, concerned as he sat down by her side.

"I don't remember." Mara replied, weakly. "I remembered doing some reading and the next thing I knew, I woke up on the couch with a painful headache. It's odd. I feel like I blacked out something."

"Maybe, you passed out."

"Possibly. I never fainted though before."

"Mhmm...Do you feel better now?"

"Just a little bit. Anyway, did you guys find out who the fingerprints belong to on that envelope?"

"Yes, we did. The fingerprints belonged to Leia."

"Leia?!"

"Yes, but we believe she is being set up." Luke explained to Mara everything that happened at his parents' house between Leia and Anakin.

"So you all think it could be Arnold?"

"We're not sure yet. But it's possible. We believe he has the motive."

"It's funny you should mention him. He was here earlier today."

"He was?" Luke asked, surprised.

"Yes. He came here before I was reading."

"What did he want?"

"He was actually rude. He said he didn't trust me because I was a witch and too close to your Father. He doesn't want me in the Democracy Restoration."

"That was harsh. What did you say to him?"

"I told him the next time he has nothing nice to say, to not say anything at all. And then I told him he wasted his time because I'm not leaving. He left afterwards, but was grumpy. He does have an attitude problem."

"Which does make him more suspicious." Luke said, thoughtfully.

Mara got up. "I have somewhere to go."

"Right now? What about your headache?"

"I'll be fine. It's rather important."

"Okay, I'll go with you."

"No. That's alright. I need to go alone. But, I'll see you later. Bye." Mara opened the door for Luke to leave, and then left after him.

A couple of hours later, Mara entered her hidden hut on the moon of Endor. She was the only one who could open the door. There was no way of breaking in due to the protected enchantments covering the shack. Mara turned on the light. The hut was one small room, a little bigger than a walking closet. She went to one of the shelves and began searching frantically. Time was running out. She threw bottles of potions and boxes all around, not caring that she was making a mess or ruining what she took the time to organize. Finally, she found what she wanted, a small purple bottle filled with dark liquid. Mara grinned as she held the bottle in her hand. "Here it is." She whispered quietly to herself. Without bothering to clean up the mess, Mara left her hut.

**Don't forget to review and let me know what you think. **


	6. Chapter 6

Mara Jade flung her red hair back as she knocked on the door of Padme's lake house. Her face was full of such determination and purpose, and her fingers fiddled with the small bottle lingering inside her jacket. However, as soon as the door opened, her hands were at her sides and her face was of blank politeness.

"Hello, Mara. What brings you here?" Padme asked.

"I came here to talk to you and Anakin." Mara replied.

"Come in. Is Luke with you?"

"No, he's not. I came by myself."

Padme led Mara to their living room where Anakin was sitting comfortably on the sofa. He looked up when he saw Mara arrived. The two greeted each other before Mara stated her purpose.

"I want to help you discover who is behind those awful messages you have been receiving." Mara said as she sat down next to Padme, opposite from Anakin.

"I appreciate that. But, I don't see how you can." Anakin said.

"I'm a witch, remember? I have special powers that might enable us to find out who this dreadful person is."

"I know of your powers. But I have the power of the force. Yoda and I have been meditating to find a clue, any clue that could lead us to this enemy."

"Any luck?"

"We didn't find much. All I was able to detect with the force was that this person is dangerous and is very determined. He or she has some kind of plot and purpose in torturing me like this. I know this person is bloodthirsty for revenge. I feel an incredible amount of anger and hostility towards me."

"But, you can't see who this person is?"

"No. As least not of yet."

"Then maybe I can help."

"No offense, but I don't think so. I do respect your powers. You took good care of my wife which I will always be grateful for and you've been so good to Luke. You've been quite wonderful for our whole family actually. But, I don't think your powers can do any better than the force."

"Don't be too hasty. I am not saying that my powers are any better than yours. But, they are different. So, maybe if we could combine our resources, we can get closer to catching this culprit."

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt. But, I don't want you to get too involved, in case this person decides to go after you."

Mara smiled. "Don't worry. I can take good care of myself. Now, as of what I can do for you, I think the next time you receive any kind of message, any clue, you should give it to me."

"Why? What will you do with it?" Padme asked, curious.

"I will make a potion and insert the evidence into it. After casting a couple of spells, the identity may be revealed."

"May be? Do you mean there's a possibility that it won't work?" Anakin asked.

"Yes, it's possible. This kind of magic doesn't always work. That's usually if the person I seek is somewhere far or very elusive. For example, if it's someone I know or met or see frequently, it will be revealed to me most likely. The less I know the person, the further away they are, the less likely."

"So, if it's Arnold, you'll know, right? Because you do see him and know of him."

There was a slight fear that suddenly seem to appear in Mara's face, but it disappeared immediately that Anakin was not sure he saw it. "Yes, if it's Arnold, I most likely will find out."

"Well, that would definitely be a start, wouldn't it? This method might really work." Padme said.

"But you have to give me the evidence as soon as possible. The fresher it is, the better. Do not touch it much or try to discover fingerprints. It cannot be inspected, in fact. You must just hand it over right away and not examine it or do anything else with it." Mara said.

"Why?" Anakin asked in surprise.

"Because when I insert evidence into this kind of potion, it gets personified in a way. If it has been examined, it might fight to disguise the identity of its messenger. It will, in other words, resist the magic."

"I see. Okay, well then, next time I get anything, I'll give it to you. Do you want the evidence we have already?"

Mara shook her head. "No, I'm afraid they're too old now and you have examined them, I'm sure. It will not work. It has to be fresh and not tainted."

"Okay." Anakin said as he nodded.

Padme asked, "Do you want to stay over for dinner?"

"No thanks." Mara said, politely. "I should be leaving now. But, do you mind if I use the bathroom before I go?"

"Not at all." Padme said as Mara got up and exited the living room. Padme then turned to Anakin and said, "I really think Mara can help us."

Anakin nodded his head. "Perhaps so. She is brilliant. Maybe, we will find out really soon who is behind this."

"I hope so. The sooner this mess is over, the sooner we can relax and prepare for Leia's and Han's wedding."

"Yeah." Anakin agreed.

After a few minutes, Mara came back out and said goodbye to Anakin and Padme, who thanked her for her help. Mara left soon afterwards. After an hour, Padme and Anakin were in the dining room having their dinner.

"The mere thought that you have someone after you gives me the chills." Padme said as she cut her knife into her meal.

"I don't want to think about that now. Let's just enjoy our meal." Anakin said.

"You know I'd love to, but I can't help but worry."

"I know. And I'm worried to. But, right now, I just want to be content in this moment. For twenty years, I dreamed that we were back in this room eating our meals together. I never thought that dream would become real again."

"It's real." Padme said as she smiled. "It's very real. And this time, it's not going away."

Anakin returned the smile and said, "You know, it's been really wonderful having Luke and Leia over a lot for dinner. Sitting together as a family at last has brought me so much happiness in the past few weeks. But, it's nice to dine alone with you, just the two of us."

Padme laughed and said, "I agree." She then just remembered something. "Ani, did you pour your medicine in your drink?"

Anakin's eyes widened. "No, I forgot." He reached inside his pocket to retrieve a small vial. In it contained the medicine that would diminish his scars. He had been taking them everyday ever since he ridded himself from the mask of Darth Vader. The medicine tasted awful but when inserted in a drink, Anakin could barely taste it. He opened the vial and dropped a couple of drops from it into his drink. He then picked up the glass and brought it to his lips, taking a sip. Right away, he felt that there was something odd. His heart began to beat fast and he felt as if the room got ten times hotter. He dropped the glass down to the floor where it crashed, splattering the liquid and glass everywhere.

Padme was startled and noticed that something was wrong. "Anakin, what happened?"

Anakin couldn't find the words to speak as he began choking. His hands clutched the end of the table as he tried his best to stable himself. Padme was at his side immediately. "Anakin, what's happening?"

Anakin knew what was wrong. He could tell. He tried to open his mouth, but it was not working.

"No, don't talk. I'm going to go get some help." Padme said as she made to turn. But, Anakin finally forced his mouth open.

"Padme..." He muttered. "Poison..."

"Poison?" Padme asked, alarmed. And then, right at her feet, Anakin collapsed onto the floor.

"No! Anakin!" Padme yelled so loudly that her handmaidens ran in. Padme dropped to her knees and reached for Anakin's pulse. She was so relieved when she felt it, but it was faint. Time was running out. She had to get him to the hospital immediately or she could lose him.

One of Padme's handmaidens contacted the doctors as they arrived to the house. Anakin was soon transported to the nearest hospital, and Padme had contacted Luke and Leia to inform them of this dreadful news. Soon, Padme, Mara, Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, Threepio, R2, and Yoda were at Anakin's side as he laid on a hospital bed.

"Come on, Anakin. You have to survive." Padme said. There were tears welled up in her eyes and Leia put a comforting arm around Padme's shoulders as her other hand clutched Luke's.

"Don't worry, Mother. Father is strong." Luke said. "He came back to us before. He will do so again."

Leia knew that Luke was only saying this to reassure their mother but he was just as worried as she was. Will Father be able to survive this? Leia did not know. She wondered if she could try to see the future using the force, but was afraid to. She wondered if Luke, who was more trained in the force would, but she had the feeling that he too was afraid.

Several hours had passed. The doctors did not know if Anakin would make it or not. It was too early to tell, but they were trying their best to revive him. Padme refused to leave Anakin's side. Mara went into another room to rest, for her burning headache was back. Yoda returned to his temple to further meditate. Han and Chewie went to get drinks for Luke and Leia, who were outside of Anakin's room, talking to each other.

"It had to have been the person who was threatening him." Luke said, somberly.

"But who? Who is doing this? And how are they breaking in their house and pouring poison in the drinks?" Leia asked, feeling a sense of despair.

"I have no idea. But, when I find out, I swear I will make them wish they never existed!" Luke said, feeling angry.

"Luke, don't say things like that. You're a Jedi. You only attack in defense."

Luke felt ashamed. "You're right. I can't think that way."

"It's okay. It was only natural. You would never follow the ways of the Sith. You're too good."

"Thanks." Luke said, gratefully. "Do you think Arnold poisoned him?"

"I like to think not, but I am suspicious of him. I think it's time we find out though and get to the bottom of all this."

"How?"

"I've got a plan. And we'll wait until Han gets back before we go off."

**Please review and send me feedback. There will be more action later. I'll post the next chapter soon.**


	7. Chapter 7

"Please, Anakin. You must live. Don't leave me again." Padme sobbed as she clutched Anakin's hand. It had already been a few hours since Anakin was brought to the hospital and Padme did not leave his side once. No matter how many times the doctors told her she should rest or get something to eat and drink, Padme had stayed. She did not know why, but she felt her presence being near Anakin was keeping him alive.

* * *

Leia paced back and forth in a large room at the Democracy Restoration building, the place she and the others were having their meetings on building the New Republic. Arnold should be here any soon, and if things went to plan, she would know if he was after her father or not. Finally, Arnold entered the room.

"Princess Leia? You called me here?" Arnold said, showing his uncertainty as to why Leia would want to meet him alone in this room, at this hour.

"Yes, I did. I was thinking about what you said to me earlier, about my father. And I realized you were right. My father is standing in the way and I think we should remove him." Leia said, trying to cover her nervousness. She knew Anakin was still in the hospital fighting for his life. He could be dead now and she wouldn't even know...No! Leia shook those negative thoughts away. She would know if he had passed away already. She would have felt it in the force. He was alive, but weak. Leia tried to shift her thoughts of her father to where she was now. She had to stay focused if she wanted to uncover Anakin's theatener.

"Really? You agree? Well, then, that's great! So maybe you can try to talk him into leaving." Arnold said, pleased with Leia's sudden change of heart.

"I don't think that will work, Arnold."

"Why not?"

"I could try to guilt him and give it my all, but he probably won't leave. My brother, Luke, will support him and so will my mother. He will not listen to me only. He's got people on his side. And most importantly, my father is a very stubborn man. Talking isn't going to work. We must find another way."

Arnold frowned. "What other way do you have in mind?"

"Well, I was hoping you would have a solution. I'm desperate here. I really want Anakin to leave immediately. But, I don't know what to do. I'll do anything, anything at all. Whatever it takes. You've got to help me." Leia hoped she didn't overdo it.

Arnold did seem surprised and taken back by Leia's desperation. "Princess, why now? A few hours ago, you defended your father. And now, all of sudden, you're so desperate to kick him out?"

"I've come to realize that I was just thinking about my relationship with my family and not about the good of the galaxy. I have to do what's right for the galaxy. I swore I would the minute I joined the Rebellion. So, will you help me?"

Arnold seemed to accept Leia's explanation to Leia's relief. "Yes, I'll help you."

"Great, thanks."

"I guess if your father won't listen to you, we'll have to try to convince everyone in the Restoration including Mon Mothma and Dodonna to remove Anakin from his role in the Democracy Restoration."

"Do you'll think that will work?"

"It's worth a shot, isn't it? I mean, we can't kill him or anything like that, right?"

Leia faked a laugh and replied, "Right."

"Well, it's late. I should be going home now. We'll talk more about this tomorrow. Shall I walk you out?"

Leia permitted him too. But as soon as he left in his speeder, Leia returned to the room. She shut the door and rested her head on the back, sighing. She then heard a knock on the door. Leia stepped away from it to open the door.

A figure wearing a black mask barged in and slammed the door. Leia screamed and backed away before he could grab her. The figure stalked towards her but stopped when he saw flashes of green. Luke and Yoda jumped from their hiding areas and charged towards the mysterious person. The figure was caught off guard, but managed to overcome his shock as he dodged the lightsabers. Realizing that he was not going to win this battle as he was outnumbered, the figure ran to the door. However, Han was there first, holding a pistol in his hand. The figure desperately turned back, only to find Chewie standing with a gun in his hand and growling.

Having no choice but to fight, the figure kicked Chewie in his gut. Chewie let out a roar of pain as he fell to the floor and his gun slipped out from his hand. Quickly, the figure picked up the gun and aimed it towards Luke who was standing in front of him. Before he could release the trigger, Luke destroyed the gun with his lightsaber. Weaponless, the figure backed away. Leia stepped forward and asked, "Who the hell are you?!"

The figure stopped moving when Leia appeared in front and stared at her. Although Leia could not see the person's face underneath the mask, she somehow sensed that the figure was staring at her intently. Leia didn't understand why, but she couldn't help but feel that she knew this person. The figure moved towards her like previously. But instinct caught up with Leia first. She let out her lightsaber and stood in an attack pose. Leia never had a real lightsaber battle. She had only used her lightsaber when training with Luke, Yoda, and Anakin. The figure stopped at this sudden threat.

"Tell us who you are!" Han demanded.

"Surrounded, you are. Your last hope, surrender is." Yoda said.

The figure reached into his pocket.

"Don't even think about it!" Luke warned.

"You're outnumbered, fool!" Han said.

But, the figure brought out a bottle filled with thick green liquid. He opened its lid and poured it on himself, confusing everyone else in the room. What is he doing, Leia wondered. The green liquid covered the figure's entire being; then, he stepped towards Leia and made a grab for her. Leia kicked the figure, stepped back, and lunged her lightsaber towards his arm. She expected the lightsaber to go through, but it didn't. The lightsaber stopped on the figure's arm, causing no damage. Leia's eyes widened, not understanding why. She could sense that the figure was grinning now. Luke lunged his lightsaber towards the figure's arm as well, but the same thing happened. Luke stared at the figure and realized what was happening. Whatever that green stuff was, it was protecting the person from attacks. Han aimed his pistol at the person and pulled the trigger. The laser beam hit the figure and bounced back. Han ducked as the beam went through the wall.

The door then broke opened, and Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie found themselves rising and flying out of the door. They heard Yoda shout "RUN!" and realized that Yoda helped them escape. Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie did as they were told and ran out of the building. Yoda caught up with them a few minutes later.

"What happened?" Han asked.

"That green liquid stuff...Must have been some kind of protection." Luke said.

"Protection?"

"It doesn't allow any attacks go through."

"Correct, you are." Yoda said.

"I bet that person is the one trying to kill Father." Leia said.

"I do too. Do you think it's Arnold?" Luke said.

"I don't know. When Arnold was here, he didn't seem like he was the one. I thought he would reveal that he poisoned Father when I pretended to go against him."

"He may not have believed that you would resort to killing so he didn't want to admit it." Han said.

"That could be true. He had to be the only one who knew Leia was here." Luke added.

"Yes, that's true. But why would Arnold or whoever this person is attack us? They're after Father." Leia said.

"But we are his offspring. He must have wanted to get to us to get to Father."

"Do you think Arnold would go that far, that he would kill me too?"

"It's possible. I'm not willing to cross Arnold out of the suspect list just yet."

"I suppose you're right. Yoda, thank you so much for saving us. We were helpless against that person. He could have finished us."

"My pleasure." Yoda replied.

"But what are we going to do now? If he always has that protection, how are we going to attack him next time?"

"I don't know." Luke said, helplessly. "Let's worry about that later. We should go back to the hospital and check on Father."

"Right." Leia agreed.

* * *

The group returned to the hospital. Luke and Leia entered Anakin's room and saw their mother still sitting by his side. Padme turned and smiled at the sight of them. She reached her hand out and Leia came forward to take it.

Leia whispered, "How is he?"

"I'm not sure. He is still alive and the doctors are trying to revive him." Padme said as Leia squeezed her hand.

"Where's Mara?" Luke asked.

"She's lying down in the next room. She has a strong headache." Padme replied.

"I'll go check on her." Luke said as he left the room. Padme and Leia continued to stare at Anakin, not saying a word. Leia tried to communicate to Anakin in her head, hoping he could hear from the force. _Please, Father, please don't give up. I don't want to lose you again. We all need you. Stay alive, for us. Please!_

Luke entered Mara's room. She was lying down on the bed, asleep. Luke noticed splashes of green liquid on her dress and his eyes widened when he realized what it was. It was the same substance the attacker poured on his body. Luke stared at Mara in complete shock.

**Don't forget to leave a review. Let me know what you all think of the story so far and any other comments you have. **


	8. Chapter 8

Luke couldn't believe what he was seeing. It couldn't be. Mara would never. But, how else could he explain why that same strange green liquid was on Mara's dress?

"Mara." Luke called and he tried to shake her, hoping she would awake. After a brief moment, Mara's eyes opened as she sat up.

"Luke...My headache is worse." Mara muttered softly, clearly in pain. She pushed her hair back, away from her face.

"Mara, were you here in this hospital the whole time?"

Mara looked confused. "What do you mean? The whole time?"

"I mean, since Father came here, were you sleeping in this room all this time?"

"I think so, but I can't say for sure."

"What do you mean?"

Mara placed her hand on her head as if having to keep herself steady. She was feeling dizzy and there was a strange ache in her body. "Luke, I think I went somewhere, but I don't remember. It's like I blacked out something, something important and...Luke, where did all of this green stuff come from?" Mara had just noticed that her dress was stained.

Before Luke could answer her, Leia entered the room. Upon noticing Mara's state, Leia rushed to her side. "Mara, are you alright? You look pale." She then noticed the green liquid on Mara's clothes and looked at Luke questionably.

"Mara...Leia, Han, and I went to the Restoration building to talk to Arnold. Someone tried to attack us." Luke said.

"What?!" Mara asked, astonished.

Leia explained their ordeal with the mysterious attacker. Mara seemed stunned. "But why is this green stuff on me?" Mara asked.

"Luke, you don't suppose that the attacker came to Mara and spilled this stuff on her?" Leia asked.

"Mara, did anyone strange come here?" Luke said to Mara.

"I don't know. I was asleep...At least I think." Mara responded.

"What do you mean 'at least you think?'"

"I feel like something happened. But, I can't remember. It's like there's something missing from my memory. I've been having these blackouts where I can't remember where I was or what I was doing."

"When did this start?"

"A few days ago."

Luke and Leia looked at each other, both thinking the exact same thing. "Mara, I feel horrible asking you this. But you don't think that you were the one that came and attack us?"

Mara did not seem angry or upset at being asked such a question to Luke's surprise. Instead, she blinked and replied, "I don't know."

"Maybe she is having some kind of personality split." Leia said, looking at Mara with concern.

"If that is the case, then I can't be alone." Mara said. "I'm dangerous."

"Mara, if you are the one behind Father's threats, it's not your fault. You didn't know what you were doing."

"Nevertheless, I'm still a danger."

"I'll watch over her. She won't leave my sight." Luke said to Leia as she nodded in agreement.

"I'm going to go and check on Mother." Leia said and left Luke and Mara alone.

"I'm so sorry, Luke. I'm sorry if I poisoned your father." Mara weeped.

Luke hugged Mara tightly and kissed the top of her head. "Don't worry. I'm going to help you."

"If your father dies, it'll be my fault."

"Father will not die and we will all help you. Everything is going to be alright." Luke reassured her.

* * *

Leia sat by her Mother's side as they looked over at Anakin, who was still unconscious.

"You should go home now and get some rest." Padme said gently to Leia.

Leia shook her head. "No, I'm staying here. I don't want to leave you alone."

Padme took Leia's hand. "I'll be fine. You look exhausted. You should go home. I'll contact you when there's more news."

"You sure?"

Padme smiled. "Yes, go home. I'll be fine."

"Okay." Leia sat up and kissed her mother's cheek before leaving.

* * *

_Anakin smiled at the doorway as he watched Padme arranging stuff animals around the room. He turned towards the while crib in the center of the nursery and smiled. Soon, Padme will have the baby and the three of them would be a happy family. He didn't care anymore if their marriage wasn't a secret. Even if he did get kicked out of the Jedi counsel, at least he would have his wife and their child. And maybe someday, they'll have more kids. Yes, Anakin was happy and watched his wife proudly as she fixed the baby's room. _

_Noticing that he was watching her, Padme turned and smiled at him. She walked towards him and took his hand to place it on her swollen belly. Anakin chuckled as he felt the baby kick. _

_"I really do think this is going to be a girl. These kicks suggest so." Anakin said._

_Padme laughed. "Maybe. But something tells me we're going to have a boy."_

_"Well, as long as we have a healthy baby, I don't care if it's a boy or a girl."_

_"Me too." Padme leaned it to kiss Anakin who had his arms around her back._

* * *

Leia went back to her apartment and was about to open the door when she was grabbed from behind. A white cloth filled with a strange odor was pressed on her mouth and nose. She was unable to scream, but she tried to struggle. Leia groaned as she was pressed against the body of her attacker.She finally managed to whirl around and saw that the attacker was dressed in the same suit and mask that the attacker had at the Restoration building. Leia quickly pulled the mask off and was stunned to see who it was. The attacker let her go.

"You...No, it can't be. You died." Leia muttered before passing out on the floor.

**Sorry for the chapter being a little too short but I thought this chapter had everything I needed it to have. The next chapter should be longer. Please leave me a review and let me know how you all like the story so far and what you think of it. **


	9. Chapter 9

_Anakin held his wife's hand as she endured the pains from the labor. His other hand was in her hair, trying to keep her calm._

_Padme's screaming ceased when the first baby arrived. Obi-Wan took the baby and held it close to Anakin and Padme so they could see him. _

_"Luke...We'll name him Luke." Padme muttered breathlessly as Anakin looked over their newborn son with joy and excitement. His eyes were blue just like his._

_Padme's smile faded as she began screaming in pain. Anakin took Padme's hand once again and tried to coax her. Finally, her screams stopped and the sound of another baby's cries were heard. The medical droid delivering the babies handed this one to Padme's opened arms, telling the proud parents that this baby was a girl._

_Padme cradled her newborn daughter and stared into her brown eyes. "We'll name her Leia." Padme said._

_Anakin took baby Luke into his arms and sat beside his wife as he looked over at his family. He loved Padme since they were young kids. He knew right at the moment he saw her that he was going to marry her someday. He knew that Padme was the love of his life, someone he would not be able to live without. And now together, they produced a son and a daughter, two twins who would grow up to be powerful Jedi. He glanced at Luke and then at Leia who was bundled up in her mother's arms. Yes, the force was strong in them. They had inherited it from him and the force will now run strong in their family. _

_"You'll be the Godfather, won't you?" Anakin asked Obi-Wan, his best friend and mentor._

_"I'd be honored." Obi-Wan said. _

_Anakin smiled at him and then kissed his wife's cheek. He had never felt so happy in his entire life. The Sith Lord, Palpatine, was dead. He killed him during his duel with Mace Windu. The nerve of him to try to trick him into joining the dark side as if that would stop Padme from dying in childbirth. Padme would not die and she didn't. The premonitions were wrong. They only showed him what would have happened had he betrayed the Jedi and became Palpatine's apprentice. Now, the Sith were gone. Palpatine and Dooku were dead. The war was over. The Separatists were gone. Everything in the galaxy was back to normal and finally there was peace. Anakin was pardoned for marrying Padme and producing offspring. He was an official member of the Jedi council and was finally granted the right of Master. One day, the twins will become his apprentices and he would be a good father to them. What more could he ask for?_

* * *

Mara slept quietly as Luke looked over her. He wondered if Mara was truly the one behind Anakin's threats and if she was losing her mind. That thought was disturbing, but something just didn't fit in. Luke knew there was much more to this. Even if Mara poisoned his father, Luke felt that it couldn't have simply been that Mara was losing it. Luke got the feeling that Mara's blackouts were caused by an outside force, not something natural or within her.

Mara's eyes opened and her color was coming back to her face.

"How do you feel?" Luke asked, softly.

"I feel better. In fact, my headache is gone." Mara said as she stood up.

"Have you been able to remember anything?"

"Not anything that I blacked out. I think those memories are gone."

"I believe something else is going on here."

"Something else?"

"I just got this feeling that there is more to the story. It just can't simply be that you are losing your mind and committing such unintentional acts."

"Well, it's hard for me to believe I'm losing it too. But how else can we explain all this?"

"I don't know, but we are going to find out."

"How?"

"This green liquid stuff on your dress...If you put it on yourself, you must have retrieved it from somewhere. Do you know what it is?"

Mara shook her head slowly. "I'm not sure."

"Try to think. Try to remember. Where do you think it could have come from?"

Mara's eyes suddenly lit up as if realizing something important. "Luke, I know what it is!"

"What is it?"

"It's a potion that I made. It protects people from being injured. I can't believe I forgot!"

Luke looked thoughtful. "So you must have taken that potion and poured it on yourself when you came to attack us. Do you have the bottle with you?"

Mara searched her pocket and pulled out a purple bottle, her eyes widening at it. Luke looked at the bottle curiously.

"Is that it?" Luke asked.

"No." Mara said slowly and softly, almost whispering.

"Then, what is it?"

Mara swallowed. "Poison."

"Poison?"

Tears filled Mara's eyes. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Luke. I think I did poison your father. This must be it. I must have given it to him."

Luke went to Mara and held her. "It's going to be alright. We're going to figure this whole thing out."

Mara wiped her tears and nodded her head. "We should go to my hut on the moon of Endor. That's where I keep my potions. It's a starting place. Maybe we'll find some answers."

"Okay, let's go there now."

"What about your father?"

"I will check on him again to see how he's doing, and then, we'll go."

"Don't you want to wait until he recovers?"

"Mother and Leia are with him. It'll do no good just to sit around and wait for something. I want to get to the bottom of this."

"Alright then. We'll go."

* * *

_Anakin's arms were wrapped around Padme as their lips were locked together, engaging in a passionate kiss. The sound of R2's beeping and the laughter of kids were suddenly heard in the room, but Anakin refused to pull away from Padme._

_"Ewwwwwwwwwwwww! Gross!"_

_Anakin finally let go of his wife, keeping one of his arms around her shoulders. The two of them turned to their children who were grossed out to see their parents kissing. _

_"That was disgusting!" Luke said._

_Leia's attention towards her parents were now shifted towards Luke as she looked him up and down. "Not as disgusting as you! You got dirt all over you!"_

_Luke glared at his sister. "So? I look tons better than you!" Luke retorted._

_"You wish!"_

_Luke ran to his parents. "Mother, tell Leia to leave me alone."_

_Anakin sighed. Two five-year olds were a hand-some. "Leia, it's okay if your brother has dirt on him. We'll give him a bath."_

_"I don't want to take a bath!" Luke complained._

_"You never do." Leia said, smirking at Luke. _

_"You better watch it! One day, I'm going to be a Jedi Knight, better than you!"_

_"Hey, I'm good too. And I'm also going to be a Senator like Mommy."_

_Luke pulled a strand of Leia's hair and Leia yelped._

_"That's enough!" Padme said and the twins immediately stopped their fight and turned to her with their heads down._

_"Your cousins Ryoo and Pooja are coming over for dinner today, along with Aunt Sola. Now, I want the two of you to go upstairs and wash up."_

_"Yes, Mommy." Luke and Leia said. The two of them raced each other up the stairs. _

_Anakin shook his head and chuckled. "Those two are always fighting."_

_Padme smiled. "Don't worry. They always make up right away. Trust me, when they come back down, their fight will be forgotten."_

_And sure enough, ten minutes later, Luke and Leia came back down giggling together. Luke ran towards Anakin with a paper in his hand and Anakin picked him up._

_"I made this for you, Dad." Luke handed over the paper. Anakin looked at it. It was a drawing of him and Obi-Wan, holding lightsabers. Anakin couldn't restrain the grin forming on his face._

_"Do you like it?" _

_Anakin kissed the top of Luke's head. "I love it! Thank you."_

_"I love you, Dad."_

_Anakin laughed. "I love you too, son."_

_"What about me?" Leia whined._

_Anakin chuckled again. "Yes, Leia, I love you too."_

_Leia smiled, showing her satisfaction at her father's words. "I drew a picture for you too. But, it's in my room."_

_Anakin put Luke down and Luke said to Leia, "Copycat!"_

_Leia stuck out her tongue and then ran back upstairs to her room._

_"Mommy, can we go outside and feed the birds again?" Luke asked Padme._

_"Sure, honey." Padme said as she picked up Luke and brought him outside on their patio. _

_Anakin sat down on the couch, waiting for Leia to return from her room. Luke and Leia loved animals and outdoor nature. Naboo was the perfect place to live in. It was a place to appreciate nature. It was a paradise. Anakin was grateful that his children did not grow up as slaves as he did. They had a much better childhood and he couldn't be any more happier._

_Suddenly, Anakin heard a scream from upstairs. Fear burned into Anakin. Something was wrong. "Leia! I'm coming!" Anakin ran up the stairs and down the hallway until he reached Leia's room. He burst the door open and cried out her name. But, Leia's room looked different. All of her stuff toys and dolls were gone. There were no pink roses on the table or toys on the floor. The room was dark and empty, with Leia lying down in the corner of the room. But, she was not five anymore. She was a young woman with long hair falling down her shoulders and going up to her waist. Her eyes were red from tears and she was in agony. _

Anakin's eyes shot opened and he cried out, "Leia!"

"Anakin!"

Anakin turned towards his wife. It was just then that he realized he was at a hospital and his wife was at his side. "Padme..."

"Ani, you're awake." Padme said, happilly.

Anakin tried to sit up. "What happened?"

"You were poisoned. But, you're going to be alright." Padme said, gently pushing Anakin back down.

"Where's Leia?"

"She's home. But I think Luke's here. Do you want me to get him?"

"Something happened to her."

Padme was confused. "Who? Leia?"

Anakin nodded. "Yes, she's in trouble."

"How do you know?" Padme asked, alarmed.

"I can sense it. Someone kidnapped her. I had a vision of her trapped somewhere."

"Maybe it was a dream." Padme said, trying to reassure her husband.

"No, it's real. I know it."

"Anakin, are you absolutely sure?"

"Mother? Father! You're awake." Luke came into the room, followed by Mara. Padme turned to smile at him.

"Yes, he finally woke up." Padme said.

"That's wonderful. How do you feel?" Luke said to Anakin.

"I feel better, but I had a terrible vision. Leia is being held captive somewhere."

"What?!"

"She's in danger."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I know this vision is real and it is happening now."

"But I thought Leia was here, in the hospital."

Padme gasped. "No, she's not. I told her to go home and rest. Oh, I hope nothing did happen to her."

"I'll find Han. And we'll all look for her."

"Alright, I'll go with you."

"I'm coming too." Anakin said.

"No, you can't. You're still weak, you need to rest."

Anakin shook his head. "No, I'm not going to lie here and do nothing. I'm the one with the vision, I think I'll know where to find her. I can sense it."

Padme sighed. She knew that once Anakin made up his mind about something, there was no going back. At any rate, it was true that Anakin would be able to detect where Leia was more than she could. He had to come along. "Okay, Anakin. But take it easy."

* * *

Leia moaned softly as her eyes opened. Everything was very blurry and she felt so dizzy that she couldn't stand up. A man was standing in front of her and when he saw her eyes opened, he knelt down to look at her.

"Leia." He said.

Leia's vision became clearer and she blinked at the man. "Father?"

"Yes." Bail Organa said as he smiled.

"I thought you died." Leia said, unable to believe the scenario.

"No, I was not on Alderaan when it was destroyed."

"I don't understand..." Leia said slowly. "And what are we doing here?"

"I brought you here to protect you, keep you safe."

"Safe? From what?" Leia asked weakly. She still felt dizzy and she was beyond confused as to what was going on.

"From Darth Vader, of course. Or should I say, Anakin Skywalker, now?"

"You know?"

"Yes, and I'd be damned if he hurts you again. That's why I poisoned him."

"You? It was you? You were the one behind those threats?"

Bail smiled. "Yes, it was me. It's time I get my vengeance on that monster. By the way, did you like those flowers I've sent you?"

Leia was too weak and too shocked to respond.

**For those that are confused as to the Anakin dream thing, that's just his dream as how things would have been had he not turned to the dark side. It's sort of what Anakin desires, but he'll talk about that later on. I know I kind of left another bit of a cliffhanger. But, I'll try to update soon. Please leave me a review and share your opinions. **


	10. Chapter 10

"Leia." Bail called gently. "I asked you a question. Did you like my flowers?"

Leia's focus was becoming clearer and she was still shocked to see her father standing before her. "I don't understand how this is happening. I thought you were dead."

Bail frowned. "Does this mean that you're not happy I'm alive?"

"That's not what I meant. I'm just trying to understand this. Where were you this whole time? Why didn't you come to me sooner?"

Bail smiled. "I was being held as a prisoner since you were kidnapped on the Death Star. I escaped, however, and stayed low until the Empire was destroyed. I heard everything that has happened, that Darth Vader informed you that you were his daughter. It was then that I decided to get my revenge."

Leia's eyes were startled. Her father was alive this whole time and now he wanted revenge on her other father. Suddenly, a thought came to her. "What about Mother? Is she alive too?"

Bail sighed sadly at Leia's hopeful expression. "I'm afraid not. Your mother was on Alderaan when it perished. She is gone. But, I heard you have been reunited with your biological mother, Padme Amidala."

A tear rolled down Leia's cheek after hearing her foster mother's death confirmed, but nodded her head about her reunion with Padme.

"I am happy for you, Leia. Your mother was a remarkable woman. Your father, on the other hand, needs to pay." A dark look came to Bail.

Leia shook her head, bewildered. "I can't believe this. You would never poison someone. It's not in your nature."

"I didn't harm someone innocent. Vader is a monster."

"He changed. He's Anakin Skywalker now and he feels remorseful."

Anger flashed in Bail's face. "What good is his remorse now? Now that millions of people, millions of families have been destroyed? He can never repair that kind of damage. He's the reason you lost both of your mothers."

"You don't understand." Leia said, weakly.

"Understand? What more is there to understand? My wife is dead because of him. I lost the love of my life. She was everything to me. I am lost without her."

Leia looked sadly at her father. He did look lost. The pain in his eyes was evident. She knew how much he loved Breha. "It was Tarkin."

Bail looked distracted from his thoughts as he heard Leia. "Excuse me?"

"It was Tarkin. He's the one that ordered the fire at Alderaan. It was because of him that Mother was killed."

"And what was Vader doing? He is just as powerful, if not more so, than Tarkin. Surely, he could have vetoed this decision."

"He wasn't himself. Emperor Palpatine manipulated him. He was having visions of my mother dying in childbirth. It wasn't like he just became evil and greedy for power all of a sudden."

"If that is the case, then he is even worse than I thought."

Leia blinked. "What?"

"He knew what it was like to lose someone you love, and yet he inflicted that kind of pain on so many people, including me. Ignornance is never an excuse, but at least it's a reason. For him, ignorance isn't even a reason. He knew the kind of horror he was inflicting on people. He had the ability to love and care, yet he dismissed that ability."

"Father, Anakin thought that Padme was going to die along with his child. Palpatine told him he would help him save her if he joined the dark side. He was confused and afraid. And when his wife did die, he couldn't live with himself anymore so he detached himself from his identity as Anakin and became consumed by Vader. Darth Vader and Anakin are two different people."

"No, they're the same. It seems that Darth Vader had gotten to you, made you believe that he should be excused from his crimes."

"It's not like that--" Leia began.

"He used his family link to you to get to you. Leia, just because he's your biological father doesn't mean you should be loyal to him. After all, look who was the one that raised you and took care of you."

"Father, I am not saying that you didn't. You were an amazing father and I have always loved you. But Anakin has become a good person again and he is sorry for all the things he has done. I want to help him make up for his mistakes. But I also want you in my life too. Please, Father, please end this vendetta you have against Anakin. I know you're hurt over Mother's death, but nothing you do to Anakin will bring her back. So, please, stop this. Stop it now."

"I will not stop! I will not rest again until I have my revenge! I know I cannot bring your Mother back, but I will make Vader pay for what he did!"

Leia was now frightened of Bail. "Father, what are you going to do? Are you going to kill him?"

"Not yet. I want to torture him first. If I had wanted him dead, I would have given him a more powerful poison."

"You mean you didn't intend to kill him when you gave him that?"

"No, I just wanted him to suffer. Your father will be revived shortly, if not already. And I shall torture him further."

Her father must have gone crazy. That must be it, Leia thought. The loss of Mother and his imprisonment must have driven him over the edge. "How did you give him the poison?"

"Ah, through Mara Jade, of course."

Leia's eyes widened. "Mara?"

Bail nodded. "Yes. I followed her to her hut a few days ago. I snuck inside and drugged her. Since then, she has been following my orders."

"Your orders? What did you do?"

"First, I made her give me a potion that would make me invisible."

"Invisible?"

"Yes. That was how I snuck in that night when you were at the Democracy Restoration building to have that secret meeting. You had your ID out on the table, and I stole it without anyone noticing."

Leia was startled. "Why?!"

"After delivering the first threat to Anakin, and no one was able to see me of course, I threw your ID on the floor."

"You wanted to make it look like I did it?" Leia asked, uncertain what could be Bail's intention there.

"Yes, I did. I was hoping that would cause some tension between you and Anakin and that you would cut him off when you realized that he would suspect you."

"You were trying to turn us against each other?!"

Bail continued, ignoring Leia's question. "The following morning, when you went back to the building to attend your regular meetings, you thought you dropped a bunch of papers and files on the ground."

"What?" Leia asked, confused as to what Bail was talking about.

"When you were searching for your ID at the front desk, a bunch of papers, files, and mail fell onto the floor."

Leia suddenly remembered, but what did that have to do with anything? And how did Bail know? Leia gasped as she realized what happened. Bail was there, invisible, and he must have knocked all that stationary onto the floor. But why? "Why did you do it?"

"One of the envelopes dropped was the second threat I sent to Anakin. You had just placed your fingerprints on them. I was wearing gloves when dealing with the envelope."

Leia was stunned by Bail's confession. "You couldn't..."

Bail ignored her again and continued on. "I sent the third threat when your parents were having lunch. However, you have arrived to the place and had an alibi. You were no longer suspected."

"So what did you do then?"

"I used Mara again. I sent her to your parents' place and had her tell them that she would be able to find out who was threatening your father by the use of magic after obtaining all their evidence without their examinations. Of course this was just a ploy so your parents wouldn't observe any new evidence and be able to discover who was really behind this. That same day, Mara slipped the poison into Anakin's medication."

Leia couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What about the time when we were attacked?"

"Ah, yes, that was me. I came there to take you, but I was thwarted. I then went to the hospital where Mara was and spilled the green liquid that protected me on her clothes. That way, the blame would go to her."

Leia shook her head, with tears falling from her face. "How can you be so sick?"

Bail never got to answer as the door to the cell had bursted open. Anakin stepped in with Luke, Padme, Mara, and Han behind him. "It was you!" Anakin said, astonished.

Bail snarled at him. "Yes! You're going to pay for all that you have done."

Anakin stared at Bail. "I know I did terrible things. But, what you're doing now is wrong."

"Is that right?"

"Yes. Killing me isn't going to solve anything. And you are hurting your daughter."

Leia stepped in front of Bail. Her dizziness was now all gone, whether that was due to time or her shock, she did not know. "Father, don't do this. Please."

"I am going to avenge everything that has happened to you, to us." Bail said, determined.

"Father, you need help. Let me help you. We can all help you. Just stop this madness."

"No! I do not need help!"

"Bail, how could you?" Padme said as she stepped forward.

"Miss Amidala." Bail acknowledged. "Or should I say, Mrs. Skywalker? It's great to see you alive again. I am sorry for what has happened to you. But, now I will get rid of this horrible monster and your daughter will be safe."

"That horrible monster is gone. Anakin would never hurt Leia." Padme declared.

"He already has. And now I will get my revenge on him."

"This is enough! Let Leia go! Now!" Luke said.

"Leia is free to go whereever she wants. But that choice is up to you, Leia. Do you want to go with them or will you stay with me?"

"Don't do this, Father."

"You have to choose!" Bail said, this time with more force in his voice.

Leia sobbed as Anakin, Luke, Padme, Han, and Mara looked bewildered, not sure what Bail was going to say or do next.

"Will you choose your real father, the man who has hurt you? Or will you choose the father that has raised you and took care of you all these years?"

**Don't forget to drop a review before you leave!**


	11. Chapter 11

"Father, don't do this. Please." Leia pleaded to Bail.

"I'm sorry, Leia. But Vader and I are enemies. Think about all the horrible things he did. Look at what he did to our family. Would you really choose his side over mine?" Bail said.

"Father, I'm not going to choose. My real family is important to me and so are you."

"Well, that's going to be difficult, isn't it? Because I am going after your father."

"You need help. Please let me help you."

"What I need is Vader's suffering."

"Leia, we need to get out of here. Now." Luke said.

Leia stared at Bail with pleading eyes and didn't move. This time, Luke said more firmly, "Leia, please. We need to get out of here."

Leia reluctantly turned away from Bail and headed over to her family, preparing to leave. Han placed his arm around her and Anakin took one glance at Bail before turning away. All of a sudden, the walls around them collapsed and iron bars were placed around everyone, except Bail who was standing outside of them. Han looked for an escape and when he couldn't find one, he turned angrily towards Bail.

"What are you doing? Why do you have us trapped in this cage?" Han demanded.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot let you all just escape." Bail said. He pulled out a vial from his coat pocket and drank it.

Leia stared at him, bewildered and unsure what her father was up to. Her face went from confusion to shock as she saw her father's face transformed from Bail to--

"You!" Leia gasped.

The man smirked and nodded his head.

"You're not Bail, are you?" Padme asked.

The man shook his head.

"Who are you?" Han asked.

The man merely smiled coldly at him.

"What is going on here?" Luke demanded.

"Tell us who you are and what you want!" Mara said.

The man finally responded. "Do either of you want to explain? Leia? Anakin?"

Everyone turned to Leia and Anakin who were looking at the man in shock, but seemed to know who he was.

"Do you two know this person?" Padme asked.

"Earl? What are you doing?" Leia said.

"Getting my revenge of course." The man, now known to everyone as Earl, said.

"Revenge? On me?"

"No, of course not you, love. On your father."

Leia looked over at Anakin, who seemed to understood why Earl wanted revenge on him. Leia had an idea as to why Earl was after him, but everyone else looked at the two of them cluelessly.

"Why do you want revenge on my father?" Luke asked.

"I'm sure Leia and Anakin can answer that for you."

Anakin and Leia looked at each other.

"Perhaps you should start." Anakin said to his daughter.

Leia swallowed and nodded her head. "Alright." She said softly. "Earl used to be my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Luke said, surprised.

"Yes, a few years ago. Earl's family was acquainted with mine. His parents died when he was nine, but he inherited most of their money. We began dating when we were teens."

_Leia was in her room, brushing her long brown hair and inspecting her face in the mirror when her mother called her._

_"I'll be right down." Leia called. She put down her brush and left her room to go downstairs. Her mother was standing in the foyer with Earl._

_"Hi, Earl!" Leia greeted._

_"Hello! You look nice." Earl said as he looked at Leia._

_"Thank you. Do you want to go for a walk?"_

_"Yes, I would." _

_The two of them left the Organa palace and took a walk up the valley. They have only been dating for a couple of months and were still in the beginning of their courtship._

_"I have something for you." Earl said as he pulled out a black velvet box from his pocket and handed it to Leia._

_Leia stopped walking as she opened up the box. Inside was a beautiful diamond necklace and the sun's light on the diamonds made them sparkle and shine. "Oh Earl, it's gorgeous. Thank you!"_

_There was a satisified gleam in Earl's eyes as he noticied the effect the necklace had on Leia and knew that it was because of him._

"I appreciated Earl's gifts, but they were never really important. I would have been fine with him even if he couldn't buy me such presents." Leia explained and noticed an odd look on Earl's face when she said that.

_"Earl, what's wrong?" Leia asked. _

_Earl was sitting on Leia's couch, his hands shaking. "I lost all of it."_

_"Your money?"_

_Earl nodded. "Y-Yes. I spent it all. I'm so sorry."_

_"You must have some left."_

_"No, it's all gone. I was irresponsible." _

_Leia sighed and then reached for the necklace around her neck. She took the diamond necklace off and handed it to Earl. "Here, take this. You can sell it. It would give you some of your money back."_

_Earl frowned at the necklace and then looked up at Leia. "No, I can't take that. It's yours. I gave it to you as a gift."_

_"Earl, you have no choice. You ran out of money. You need it."_

_"I am not going to sell something I gave to you! Don't you think I have some pride?"_

_"Earl, it's just a necklace!"_

_"Just a necklace? So you don't care about the gifts I give you?" Earl looked hurt._

_"That's not what I meant. I just mean that I don't need expensive gifts from you. All I care about is you. So please, take the necklace. I don't want to see you in a panic like this."_

_Earl sighed and looked at the necklace. Leia was unsure what he was thinking. Earl then shook his head and said, "No. I will not sell it. I will fix this problem on my own. I don't want to drag you into this."_

_"But Earl, what are you going to do?"_

_"Don't worry. I'll find a way." Earl quickly kissed Leia before exiting her house._

"Perhaps I should continue the story from here." Anakin said.

"How do you fit into this?" Padme asked.

"Earl came to me when he needed money." Anakin said.

_"So you want to work for the Empire?" Vader asked._

_"Yes, I do." Earl said._

_"We don't just take anyone." Vader explained._

_"I know, but I am good. I promise. I'm really determined here."_

_"What is your motivation then?"_

_"I really need the money."_

_Vader was quiet for a moment. "Aren't you seeing Princess Leia Organa, the Senator of Alderaan?"_

_"Yes. Why?"_

_"I do not trust her."_

_"There's nothing to distrust in her." Earl said, a little too quickly._

_"I sense fear in you."_

_"I am not afraid."_

_Vader was again quiet for a moment. "You're hired."_

_"What?"_

_"You're hired."_

_"I am? For what?"_

_"You will become the Empire's spy. I want you to find out who is an enemy to the Empire and report those to me. Find out who is in the Rebellion, what they're up to, where their bases are, and anything else that is useful."_

_Earl nodded his head in an agreement. "Alright, I will accept this post."_

_"Good. I want you to keep an eye on your girlfriend."_

_"Leia? Why?"_

_"As I said, I do not trust her. If she has anything to do with the Rebellion, I want to know. And do not even think about covering for her. I will find out. Your loyalty is to the Empire now, and we do not take well to disloyalty."_

_Earl nodded. "I understand."_

"I guess it's my turn again." Leia said.

_"Don't talk to me!"_

_"Leia, please!"_

_"I don't want to see you ever again!"_

_"Leia, listen to me. It's the only way for me to earn my money back."_

_"You would sink so low--"_

_"I need this job! Please understand!"_

_"Earl, I'm part of the Rebellion! How can you be a spy for the Empire? That means you have to turn me in!"_

_"I am not going to do that. I would never betray you like that. I will never tell Vader or anyone from the Empire what you're really doing."_

_"But Vader will be suspicious if you can't find any traitor to the Empire. You'll get fired if you're not coming up with anything."_

_"I'm sure I can find some people who are traitors."_

_Leia looked at Earl in shock. "So you'll turn in others as long as it's not me? To hell with everyone else then, huh?"_

_"Leia, please."_

_"I thought I knew you, Earl. But now all I know is that you just care about money!"_

_"Leia, I would never betray you. You know I care about you."_

_"You don't understand, Earl. When you betray the Rebellion, you betray me!"_

"And then you know the rest." Leia said to Anakin.

_"You want to quit your job?" Vader asked coldly._

_"Yes." Earl gulped._

_"And why is that? Did Princess Leia take badly to your new job?"_

_"She has nothing to do with this."_

_"Really?" Vader asked, skeptically._

_"Yes."_

_"Then why?"_

_"I realized that this is a dangerous job. I don't want to put myself in that position."_

_"Dangerous?"_

_"__Yes."_

_"Surely you knew that coming here for a job, you would get a job that would put you in some kind of danger."_

_"Yes, I knew that. But it hit me at how dangerous this would be. I want to quit."_

_"You know what I think?"_

_"What?"_

_"You are a liar. You do not want this job because you're afraid to betray people you know."_

_Earl's eyes widened. "No, that's not it at all."_

_"I told you I do not take disloyalty easily."_

_"No, please."_

_"You are to be imprisoned for betrayal to the Empire. You will have no trial."_

Earl spoke. "And I was imprisoned. Thanks to Vader, I lost the girl I loved and my freedom. But now I will have my revenge. Leia, I pretended to be Bail to get you to come with me. But you have chose to stay with the man who broke us up in the first place. You were angry at me for taking a job from Vader, yet you forgave him for doing worse things than I had ever done and you chose to be loyal to him. And as for you Vader, you put me in prison because I wanted to protect your daughter. I suffered because of you and now you will pay. You will die. As for the others, your lives will be spared if and only if, Leia agrees to marry me."

**Let me know what you all think of the chapter. I meant to update sooner, but this chapter took me awhile and I had to decide how much of this little story I wanted to reveal. I thought I should just give it all, so I can save the next chapter for the action. I kept the suspense going long enough so I think it's time for the truth. So yes, Earl is the one behind all those threats and now you know why. In the next chapter, we will see if he'll succeed with his threats or not and if Anakin and his family get out of this. Please leave me a review and share your thoughts on the chapter.**


	12. Chapter 12

* * *

"Earl, stop this!" Leia said.

"Sorry, Leia, but I won't." Earl said, calmly.

Leia sighed. "I will never marry you!"

"Then you will watch your family die."

"That won't happen. You have no idea how powerful we are!" Han said.

"We won't let you get away with this!" Mara said.

Earl laughed with no sign of fear. "I'm sure you'll all try. But, you see, underestimating my powers and abilities will be your downfall."

That sounded familiar to Anakin. Hadn't he spoken similar words before? And where did he end up in? What had those words cost him? _Everything. _Everything he cared about, and so he knew that they musn't rush into this. Patience was what was needed, just as Obi-Wan has always told him. And so he had an idea.

_"Leia." _Anakin spoke in her mind, using the force. Leia twitched a little bit so no one, including Earl, noticed. _"We need to keep talking to Earl, so when we attack, he won't be expecting it."_

_"Okay." _Leia agreed.

_"And Luke..."_ Anakin now addressed Luke, who was in on the conversation between him and Leia._"When I say 'Go,' I want you to break the bars. Can you do that?"_

_"Yes, Father." _Luke said.

"Don't do this, Earl. You're much better than that." Leia said.

"Sorry, Leia. But I don't want to live without you anymore. And I want the man who kept us apart to pay."

"It wasn't Darth Vader that kept us apart. You did. You chose to work for him, knowing that you would put me and all the people I care about at risk. That's what made me leave you in the first place. I would never have been able to be with someone who worked for the Empire."

"Yet you accept the man who has been responsible for the Empire as your father."

"My father was brainwashed by the Emperor. It was complicated. I am not excusing what he's done, but I am saying that he is now a good man and he wants to help restore democracy. He has changed his ways and he is no longer a selfish person. I can't say the same for you."

"You could end this now." Anakin said. "End this and leave us alone forever. You are now free. You can go anywhere you like."

Earl smirked at Anakin. "You're right. I can end this now, and that is what I intend to do."

Anakin saw the evil gleam in Earl's eyes and knew what he meant. He did intend to kill him. "Fine. Kill me, then. Just let everyone else go. They don't deserve to suffer because of my mistakes."

"I will kill you. And everyone else can go if Leia agrees to marry me."

"Why do you want to marry someone who isn't in love with you?" Leia asked.

"Well, you'll have to make me believe it, won't you? Or else you can kiss your family and friends goodbye."

"You will not hurt my family." Anakin said, calmly. "I will never let you do that."

Earl laughed. "Well, that's going to be difficult with you dead."

_"Go!"_

A flash of green light appeared and the bars surrounding the prisoners were broken. Luke used his lightsaber to break the prison bars and now everyone was free. Earl pulled out his gun, but it was quickly removed by Anakin. Anakin caught the gun and handed it to Padme.

"It'll be like old times." Anakin said as he grinned at his wife. Padme smiled weakly.

Earl pulled out a comlink and spoke into it. "Emergency on top floor."

"What are you doing?" Luke said.

Earl ignored his question and put his hands up. "I'm unarmed. Isn't it forbidden for a Jedi to kill when unarmed?"

Chewie growled as Luke said, "We'll arrest you."

Earl smirked and said, "I don't think so."

Just then, a bunch of droids entered with guns in their hands.

"Fools. Did you think I would be unprepared for this?" Earl sneered.

Han clenched his teeth and said, "We can get out of this. We've all been in worse situations before. This is amateur."

Earl laughed. "I'm sure you'll all try."

A droid took a shot at Anakin, but he was too quick for it. His lightsaber deflected the blast and it hit the droid back, knocking him over along with a couple of more droids. Padme fired a shot at another droid that was about to pull the trigger on Anakin. Han pulled out his own gun and began firing shots at the droids, retreating them back. Leia and Chewie did the same. However, Mara pulled her hands up and muttered an incantation. Minutes later, a silver light poured out of her hands and wrapped itself around the battling droids. They were then immobilized.

"That was great!" Leia said. "Can you do the same to Earl?"

Mara shook her head. "It only works on non-humans. But, I'll see what else I can do."

"Oh no you don't." Earl said and he took out his own gun from his pocket and aimed a shot towards Mara. Luke stepped in the way with his lightsaber and deflected the blast. Earl quickly ducked as the blast came back towards him. He then desperately fired a shot at Luke, who was distracted by the shot that hit the wall and bounced back. Luke was so afraid that the blast would hit someone that he didn't defend himself when Earl shot him. However he manage to move away in the nick of time so the shot only hit his arm. A bolt of fear for Luke's safety hit Anakin and he striked a blow with his lightsaber on Earl. Earl's eyes widened in shock as he realized what happened. He glanced at Leia who was too busy trying to see if Luke was alright that she didn't look towards his side. Earl collapsed on the floor and died in his defeat. Anakin rushed to Luke's side and asked him if he was alright.

"I'm fine. It just hit my arm. I'm not that wounded." Luke said. Leia had already begun cleaning the blood.

Anakin smiled weakly at his son. "You've put up a good fight here. I'm proud of you. You're going to be a wonderful Jedi Knight."

Luke returned the smile. "Thanks, Father."

* * *

"I guess you're that hero again, Father." Leia said to Anakin as she put on her earrings. It was three weeks since the incident with Earl and now Leia was getting ready for her wedding. She was wearing her mother's wedding dress and veil. Her hair was opened but in thick curls.

"You look beautiful." Anakin said as he gazed at Leia. She looked so much like Padme right now. He wondered why he had never guessed it all the times he saw her before he knew she was his daughter. "You look just like your mother."

Leia laughed. "Thank you. But I'm nowhere close to Mother's beauty."

"Oh come off it. You and your mother are the most beautiful beings I have ever seen."

Leia smiled at him, but her smile faded when she saw a deep frown on Anakin's face. He had a distant look as if he was distracted about something. "What is it?" She asked.

Anakin looked back at Leia and shrugged. "It's nothing really."

Leia drew her eyebrows together in confusion. "Is something bothering you?"

Anakin sighed. "It's just that I sometimes wonder what would have happened had I not turned to the dark side, how we would have been a family all this time."

"Yes, I know what you mean. I wonder the same thing."

"You know, when I was in the hospital, I was having these dreams where I didn't become Palpatine's apprentice. And your mother and I were raising you and Luke together, and we were happy. That's probably how it would have been if I didn't ruin it all."

Leia walked up to her father and squeezed his hand. "Hey...We can't change the past. I will always hate what you did, but it's over now. Let's not think about the 'what ifs' and concentrate on the here and now."

Anakin smiled as he squeezed his daughter's hand in return. "You sound almost like Yoda." Leia laughed. "But, you're right. I'm lucky that we are all together now and that should be my focus."

"Are you ready to walk me down the aisle, then?"

"Yes, let's go."

Leia headed to the ceremony, her arms linked with Anakin. Han was standing at the alter with a nervous grin on his face and Luke on one side as his best man and Padme on the other side as Leia's maid of honor. Mara stood next to Padme as one of Leia's bridesmaid. Leia happily sighed as she proceeded to walk down the aisle to the man she loved.

THE END!!

**Thanks so much to all those who have read my fanfic and for the reviews. I really appreciate it and I hope you all enjoyed the story. Please leave me a review before you leave with your comments and thoughts on the story. :)**


End file.
